Today Boston marks Juneteenth, also known as Freedom Day, which commemorates the end of slavery in the U.S. after the Civil War. On June 19, 1865, the Union Army reached Galveston Bay, Texas and it was announced that all enslaved people in the state were now free.
Massachusetts enacted a law to make Juneteenth a state holiday in 2020, and officially observed the holiday for the first time in 2021.
Here’s a look at Juneteenth celebrations and events that are planned around the Boston area on Thursday.
Juneteenth events around Boston
Cambridge is having a Juneteenth Freedom Day parade and celebration. The parade starts at 10 a.m. at the corner of Mass. Ave and Pleasant Street in Central Square. It goes down Pleasant Street, to Western Avenue, to Blackstone Street and ends at Riverside Press Park. There will be a celebration at the park with music, food and performances.
Brookline is hosting a free block party from noon to 4 p.m. at the Florida Ruffin Ridley School. There will be free food, music games, dancing and waterslides.
The historic Shirley-Eustis House is hosting a “Freedom Cookout” from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. in Roxbury. There will be free tours of the mansion, free food, games and live entertainment.
Take the ferry to Georges Island in Boston Harbor for live music and “powerful explorations of Black History in Boston.” The free event is from 10:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Boston’s Juneteenth celebration will be held on Saturday, June 21 at Franklin Park. Picnics, barbecues, music and dancing are planned at Shattuck Picnic Grove and all around the park.
Free museum admission on Juneteenth in Boston
The Museum of African American History in Boston is free to all visitors for a Juneteenth Open House. Family-friendly activities include Underground Railroad walking tours, story time, dancing, face painting and story time.
The Museum of Fine Arts is offering free admission for all Massachusetts residents on June 19. One of the featured exhibits is Witnessing Humanity: The Art of John Wilson, spotlighting the work of the Roxbury artist whose work racial prejudice and social injustice.
The Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum is also having a free day on Thursday. It will include “performances, conversations, and activities that celebrate community and freedom with Boston-based Black artists and leaders.”
The Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston is offering free admission, but you must get advanced tickets online.
What’s open and what’s closed on Juneteenth in Massachusetts?
Juneteenth is a federal holiday, so that means the post office and the stock market are closed Thursday.
Public schools and libraries are closed in Massachusetts on Juneteenth. All courts and Registry of Motor Vehicle offices are closed Thursday and will reopen Friday.
Banks like Bank of America, TD Bank and Wells Fargo are closing for the holiday.
Most retailers and supermarkets should be open on Thursday.
Neal Riley
Neal J. Riley is a digital producer for CBS Boston. He has been with WBZ-TV since 2014. His work has appeared in The Boston Globe and The San Francisco Chronicle. Neal is a graduate of Boston University.
